Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol
adventurous
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Torture, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Augustus McCrae has got to be one of my all-time favorite characters.
Everyone in this books feels real, their words and actions feel believable to their characters. You definitely grow attached.
Everyone in this books feels real, their words and actions feel believable to their characters. You definitely grow attached.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Death
This book has made me never want to speak to a man again
Dnf page 164
Slow to start which is fine. But the racism and sexism I couldn’t stand. I ended up googling the plot summary and this is a hard pass from me
It is possible to write a western without the racism and sexism but this author decided not to.
Dnf page 164
Slow to start which is fine. But the racism and sexism I couldn’t stand. I ended up googling the plot summary and this is a hard pass from me
It is possible to write a western without the racism and sexism but this author decided not to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual harassment
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lonesome Dove and Blood Meridian are talked about comparatively, being two big cornerstone western epics published the same year. I suppose my hot take might be that I think I prefer Lonesome Dove overall. Both books set out to accomplish fairly different things, though. Blood Meridian, as much of McCarthy's work tends to be, is maybe his most pure eschatological construction. The hardship and atrocities of the old west are given, and McCarthy is more interested in what that says about human nature and violence.
Lonesome Dove instead gives you a story about the west that, while maybe not fully successful in its hyper-realist tendencies, is true to the adventurous nature of the genre but is not interested in glorifying anything. It's a book that just as often gives you what you want that it makes you want to throw the book across the room. Whatever anyone has told you about Lonesome Dove, it's probably true. There's a lot of beauty and humor to be found here. I'm sure if you find 20 people that have read it, they'll each give you a different character that they fell in love with.
I think if you're going to carry on the needless comparison between this book and what McCarthy writes, Suttree or The Crossing are more similar, in that it gives you a bit more of what you're looking for from Lonesome Dove. I think Suttree is still head and shoulders the better book between the two, and I might even put the Crossing above Lonesome Dove as well. All three are tremendous works of excellence that I'm fortunate to have spent so much time with.
Lonesome Dove instead gives you a story about the west that, while maybe not fully successful in its hyper-realist tendencies, is true to the adventurous nature of the genre but is not interested in glorifying anything. It's a book that just as often gives you what you want that it makes you want to throw the book across the room. Whatever anyone has told you about Lonesome Dove, it's probably true. There's a lot of beauty and humor to be found here. I'm sure if you find 20 people that have read it, they'll each give you a different character that they fell in love with.
I think if you're going to carry on the needless comparison between this book and what McCarthy writes, Suttree or The Crossing are more similar, in that it gives you a bit more of what you're looking for from Lonesome Dove. I think Suttree is still head and shoulders the better book between the two, and I might even put the Crossing above Lonesome Dove as well. All three are tremendous works of excellence that I'm fortunate to have spent so much time with.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Kidnapping
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, Pregnancy
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Murder
Minor: Hate crime, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Colonisation, War
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Devastatingly good. Highs and lows. Following Gus and Call as they carry Mexican cattle across the country to settle Montana. Some of the boys become men. Some become corpses. The west is not a kind place.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
The rape it is explicit (compared to being suggested or hinted at), but it isn’t described graphically. And it is brief.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, Kidnapping
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence
Minor: Child death, Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape